Needle press mechanism for straight knitting machines



0. F. SMETANA NEEDLE PRES Jan. 1, 1952 S MECHANISM FOR STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINES 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed July 30, 1949 INVENTOR:

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" NEEDLE PRESS MECHANISM FOR STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINES 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed July 30, 1949 Y. INVENTOR: 0ZZ0ELW/zeZa/2a,

ATTORNEYS,

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Patented Jan. 1, 1952 UNITED err inns).

NEEDLE PRESS MECHANISM F93 STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINES Gtto F. Smetana, Concord, N. 0., assignor to Karl Lieberknecht, ind, Reading, Pin, a CQ'PIIIOIEWIOII of Pennsylvania Application July 30, N49, Serial No. 107,777

((Jl. Gil-82) 8 Claims.

This invention rela es to needle press mechanisms for straight knitting machines of the cotton type commonly employed in the commercial production of ilat fashioned stocking blanks and the like, whe; ein the size of the fabric 1 loops is determined the amount of yarn kinks-:1 about the needles by forward thrust of the sinkers between the needles.

In the operation of multiple section knitting machines of the kind referred to, notwithstanding uniform gauging of the press movement of the needles of the several sections, variations occur in the lengths of the fabrics concurrently produced due to differences in the elasticity of the individual yarns used in the knitting or the manner in which they are combed, and/or adversely affecting conditions due to changes in atmospheric conditions in the mills from day to day. The length variations are especially pronounced in fabrics knitted from 10, 15 and 20 denier of yarns, nylon or other synthetic yarns having like characteristics. For example, stocking blanks knitted from such yarns with 2209 courses which should be 3 3 inches in length may vary to the extent of two inches above or below this length. While the knitting sections of the machine are individually equipped with adjusting means for gauging the needle press movement, these means, as ordinarily constructed, are inadequate in making sufficiently accurate fine adjustments in the mechanism by which the press movements are induced, to compensate for inaccuracies in the proportioning of the component parts thereof, for the lost motion which may exist between them, or for the different condition affecting the yarns. As a consequence, it is impossible to regulate the press movements of the several sections of the machines 'to the exactness necessary to the production on them of stocking blanks of uniform length.

The chief aim or my invention is to overcome the foregoing drawbacks. This objective is realized in practice, as hereinafter more fully disclosed, through the provision in the pres mechanisms, of simple and inexpensive adjustment means which may be used alone or in conjunction with the usual adjustment facilities already mentioned, whereby fine micrometer adjustments can be made in the individual knitting sections easily and quickly, and in such a way as to predetermine the production of fabrics which will be uniform in length notwithstanding the existence of slight lost motion or dimensional inaccuracies in the parts of the press mechanisms, and irrespective of detrimental conditions which may exist in the.

different yarns used in the knitting.

In the drawin s, Fig. l is a fragmentary view in transverse section of a straight knitting machine conveniently embodying my invention.

,Fig. 2 isa fragmentary detail view in elevation looking as indicated by the angled arrows 11-11 in Fig. 1 and drawn to a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by the angled arrows III-III in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional View taken as indicated by the angled arrows lVIV in Fig. 3.

Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of certain special parts hereinafter referred to.

In the illustrated machine, the knitting is accomplished in the usual well known way through cooperation of a series of spring beard needles 7 (Fig. l) is a bar 8, with sinkers ll constrained to slide endwise in transverse grooves of a stationary bed id. By means of hinges such as the one indicated at H, the needle bar s is pivotally connected, adjacent its opposite ends, to the distal ends of horizontal lift arms l2, whereof only one is shown, which reach horizontally inward from a rock shaft 13 whereto oscillatory motion is imparted through a vertically arranged springbiased roller arm i l, from a rotary cam !5 on the longitudinally extending cam shaft it of the machine. The required needle press movements are induced by mechanism including a second rotary cam ill on the cam shaft it which acts upon another vertically arranged spring-biased press arm Iii on a parallel rock shaft l9 adjacent the shaft 53. Through a spring-biased horizontal link 29, the press arm i8 is coupled with a lever projection in the form of a fork arm 2! pendent from the needle bar 8 which latter is thus oscillated about the axis of the hinges i I, with the result that the beards of the needles, during their descent, are brought into contact with the longitudinally extending press edge 22 on the sinker bed in as required in the knitting. The lower end of the pendent lever projection it on the needle bar 3 is slotted as at 23 for adjustment by means of set screws 2 which bear against opposite sides of a pivot pin 25 fixed in the corresponding end of the link '25 By the arrangement just described, it is possible only to roughly gauge the press movement of the needles 5 relative to the sinkers 9 and the press edge 22 on the sinker bed i i in the heretofore well known manner.

For finer press adjustments of the needles in accordance with my invention, I have made provisions as follows: The pin at 29, constituting the pivotal connection between the press arm it and the opposite endportion of the link 2h, passes through the boss We of said arm. As shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5, the pin 26 has a medially disposed circumferential enlargement 253a which acts as a stop against one side face of the boss 18a of arm l3, and a threaded end portion 2% at one end engaged by a clamp nut 21! by which an inter posed lock washer 28 is clamped against the opposite side face of said boss to secure said pin against rotation. Rotatively adjustable about the opposite diametrically reduced plain. end, portion 260 of pin 26 is an eccentric sleeve 29 which fits into a notch 20a in the bottom edge of link 29, and which has a knurled head 29a for convenience of finger manipulation. The sleeve 29 is held in assembly by a pair of Washers 39 and 31 the latter of which bears against the outer face of the head 29a, said washers being retained by a screw bolt 32 whereof the shank is threadedly engaged in a tapped axial bore in the end 250 of pin 26. The Washer 31, (Figs. 2, 3 and 6) has a central key slot 31a that fits over diametrical key lugs 2811 (Figs. 3 and on pin 26 for security against rotation, and is moreover formed with a radial spring finger Bib with a rounded spot projection 310 for selective engagement with a series of radial grooves 291) in the outer face of the head 29a of the eccentric sleeve 29, the groove at the center of the series being extended across the peripheral edge of said head as at 29c in Figs. 2 and 3.

Operation When larger fabric loops are to be formed, the sleeve 29 is turned counterclockwise in Figs. 1 and 3 from the normal position in which the projection Sic of the spring stop finger 31b registers with the groove 290, with the result that the effective length of the link 2% is shortened and the needle bar 8 moved slightly about its pivotal connections with the lift arms 12 to position the needles further inward of the sinkers 9. On the other hand, when smaller loops are desired or required, the procedure is reversed, i. e., the sleeve 29 is turned clockwise to increase the effective length of the link 20, whereby the needle bar 8 is moved slightly further outward of the sinkers 9. In actual practice, the eccentricity of the sleeve 29 and the spacing of the notches 29b in the head 29a are so ordered that a single notch 'rotative shift will alter the press gauging of the needles to the extent of one thousandth of an inch or even less. Thus through my invention, the press mechanisms of the several sections of the machine can be individually adjusted within close limits to compensate for the difierent characteristics of the separate yarns employed in the knitting and for changing atmospheric conditions which may efiect them, it being thereby possible to predetermine the production concurrently of multiple fabrics, which will all be of the same length, during each knitting cycle of the machine.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In needle press mechanism for a straight knitting machine having a bar with a series of needles, and a stationary bed with transverse grooves for guidance of a series of slide sinkers and with a longitudinally-eiztending press edge, the combination of a member by which the needle bar is hingedly supported for press movement; a vertically-arranged oscillated press arm; a horizontal link through which press movements are imparted to the needle bar from the press arm; and an adjustable pivot structure connecting one end of the link to the press arm, including a stud fixed in the press arm, an eccentric sleeve rotatively shiitable about said stud and engaged in said link, and means for preventing accidental rotative displacement of the sleeve in adjusted positions.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the eccentric sleeve of the pivot structure is provided with a manipulating head, and wherein the displacement prevention means is in the form of a spring finger in fixed relation to the stud, adapted to selectively engage circumferentiallyarranged notches in the manipulating head of said sleeve.

3. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the eccentric sleeve of the pivot structure is provided with a manipulating head, and wherein the displacement prevention means includes a disk on the outer end of the stud, and a radial spring finger in fixed relation to the stud for selectively engaging circumierentially-arranged notches on the outer face of the manipulating head of the sleeve.

4. In a needle press mechanism, according to claim 1, for a multi-section straight knitting machine, a rotary cam for oscillating the press arm.

5. In needle press mechanism for a straight knitting machine having a bar with a series of spring beard needles, and a stationary bed with transverse guide grooves for a series of slide sinkers, and with a longitudinally extending needle press edge, the combination of a member pivotally supporting the needle bar for press movement; a vertically-arranged oscillated press arm; a horizontal link through which the press movements are imparted to the needle bar; and separately adjustable pivot means connecting the link at opposite ends respectively with a pendent lever projection on the needle bar and with the press arm, whereby the effective length of said link can be varied to gauge the press movement of the needles relative to the sinkers.

6. In a needle press mechanism, according to claim 5, for a multi-section straight knitting machine, a rotary cam for oscillating the press arm.

7. In needle press mechanism for a straight knitting machine having a bar with a series of spring beard needles, and a stationary bed with transverse guide grooves for a series of slide sinkers and with a longitudinally extending needle press edge, the combination of a member pivotally supporting the needle bar for press movement; a vertically-arranged oscillated press arm; a horizontal link; an adjustable pivotal structure including a stud fixed in one end of the link, a horizontal slot in'the end of the pendent lever projection on the needle bar engaged by the pin and set screws threadedly engaged in the lever projection in the line of the slot to bear against opposite sides of the stud; and a separately adjustable pivot structure connecting the other end of the link with the press arm including a stud fixed in the press arm, an eccentric sleeve rotatively shiftable about the last mentioned stud and engaging the link, and means for preventing accidental rotative displacement of the sleeve in adjusted positions.

8. In a needle press mechanism, according to claim 7, for a multi-section straight stocking knitting machine, a rotary cam for oscillating the press arm.

OTTO F. SMETANA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,989,173 Nebel Jan. 29, 1935 2,419,222 Lambach Apr. 22, 1947 2,470,131 Berger May 17, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 218,917 Germany Feb. 11, 1910 

